Delivery Guy
by HR always live on
Summary: Don't want to give anything away! Will be Harry and Ruth fluffy goodness eventually, I'm sure. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

"Wait, I'm here!" Ruth called as she ran towards her front door, Her keys in her hand. She was slightly out of breath from running to her door, a delivery guy on her front door step. She had taken to ordering her groceries online, because she had limited time away from the grid and didn't want to spend it trawling around a crowded supermarket.

"You're late," he said, but he didn't seem that worried.

"I know," she said with a smile, unlocking the door. "Time ran away from me at work."

"High powered city job eh?" he said as they went into her kitchen.

"Something like that," she said evasively. "Thanks for waiting for me."

"No problem," he said, putting the bags on the table. "You're my favourite customer after all. The only one who doesn't shout or complain because I'm late."

"Mainly because I'm never here," she replied.

He smiled. "Hang on a minute, I've got more in the truck for you."

"Sure," she said, putting her keys down and beginning to unpack her shopping.

"Thanks very much," she said as he returned with the rest of her purchases.

"You're the last stop on my round tonight," he said. "So tell me, what does a beautiful woman like you do with your evenings?"

Ruth blushed slightly. "None of your business," she said firmly. But she was still smiling in spite of herself. It was nice to be called beautiful, no matter where the compliment came from.

"I'm serious," he said, hazel eyes staring at her with an intensity which made her slightly nervous. "Would you like to go out for a drink with me sometime? I'll lose the delivery uniform. I promise there's more to me than driving a truck."

"Look, I don't think that's the best idea in the world," she said slowly.

"Alright then," he conceded easily. He seemed to take the rejection so well that she almost changed her mind right there and then. But then one thing permeated her brain. **Harry**. She couldn't, no matter how nice it might be to be taken out and being treated like a lady for a change. After all, it had been a long time since she'd been taken out. "Well, I'll ask again next week when you've had a chance to reconsider."

"You don't give up do you?" she said, this time a full smile on her lips.

"I've been delivering your food for about six months," he said quietly. "You live alone, you're beautiful and clearly intelligent. The sort of intelligence that can't be hidden even if you tried. I know there's more about you than you show. And you have kind eyes. No, Ruth. I'm not giving up."

"Fair enough," she said, knowing from his attitude that arguing would be pointless.

"I'll see you soon then," he said with a cheeky grin, heading towards her front door. The door had just closed when she had a thought, and hurried after him.

"Wait a second," Ruth called as he was halfway to the van. "I don't even know your name."

"Oh," he said, still smiling. "Graham. See you soon." And with that, he drove away, leaving Ruth standing there, watching the now empty street.

* * *

**I'm not sure I hid that very well at all! But tell me what you think! More if its wanted.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the enthusiasm everyone! I wasn't sure how the Graham storyline would go down with readers, but I'm glad it was enjoyed. Theoofoof correctly pointed out that I hadn't mentioned when this was set. Mid series nine. Oh, and I have no idea where this craziness is heading either.**

* * *

The next morning Ruth was sitting at her desk when Harry came in through the pods. He smiled slightly when he saw her and approached her straight away.

"I need the report on Jameson, soon as you can," his eyes twinkling at her which was so at odds with the business like tone of his words.

"Its on your desk," she replied quickly.

"My office is locked," Harry said with a raised eyebrow. Her only response was to smile enigmatically. Chuckling to himself, he walked through the open door and found the mentioned file waiting for him.

Meanwhile Ruth was looking into Harry's son. She knew there were thousands of Graham's up and down the country, but she also knew it was the name of his son. She was hoping fate wasn't going to be cruel by introducing another Pearce to her life, when she was already struggling with one. Oddly enough, on the network there was no information on either of Harry's children. She guessed this was his influence as she knew full well that Catherine was in Israel. Harry had left the grid in her hands a week or so ago to say goodbye to her at the airport. But there was no information on her either. Sighing she closed the program and thought that it was impossible. It was just a coincidence. Nothing more. Anyway, she had no romantic interest in this Graham at all, so there was no need to worry, was there?

* * *

A couple of evenings later Ruth was surprised by her doorbell ringing. She opened it and Graham stood there, a bottle of wine in his hands. "I figured I needed incentive for you to let me in," he said with a smile.

"Alright," she said after a moment, opening the door. Graham smiled even wider at that and followed her through to the kitchen. She got two glasses out of her cupboard as he unscrewed the top of the bottle and began to pour. Then she saw what wine he'd chosen and she froze.

"Oh God," she said under her breath, the White Burgundy label now clear to her. "This was a really bad idea. You should go."

"What on earth did I do wrong?" Graham said, bewildered completely. "I've only been in your house a minute."

"I'm going to ask you something," she said quickly, before she could think better of it. "Is your last name Pearce?"

His shocked face was as good as an admission. "How did you know?"

"I work with your father," Ruth said quietly. She didn't mention that she was hopelessly in love with Harry, or the fact that had she said yes to him a couple of months before that she could very well be Graham's stepmother by now. She thought that might be a bit too much information.

"Has he been having me followed?" Graham asked.

"No!" Ruth said surprised. "It's a complete surprise that you showed up here. I haven't even mentioned you to him. I had a brief look on the database…"

"Of course you did," Graham said in a dark voice.

"There's nothing there," Ruth said. "I am good at my job, and even I couldn't find anything."

"Why were you looking into me?" Graham asked bluntly.

"Because I wanted to know if you were Harry's son," she said honestly. "I'm sorry."

"There's more between you than work though isn't there?"

"What do you mean?" she asked quickly. He stared at her, waiting for her to elaborate further. "Yes, alright now tell me what you mean."

"The way you said his name. Makes it painfully obvious," he said rolling his eyes slightly. "Oh God, I've made a fool of myself haven't I?" he added quietly.

"No," she said. "I actually feel flattered that someone quite a few years younger than myself would be interested in me, if I'm being honest."

He smiled at her. "Do I have any chance…?"

"Sorry," she replied. "I can't really explain but your father and I… Its complicated."

"It always is with him," Graham said honestly. "I don't want to make your life more difficult."

"Thanks," she said with a smile. "I am sorry."

"Forget it," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Although you are way too good for him."

"You don't even know me," Ruth replied.

"Mm, maybe," Graham said enigmatically. "I'll leave you in peace." She didn't say anything but saw him out to the door. However what happened next made both her body and her brain freeze completely. Harry was standing on her doorstep, hand raised as if to ring her doorbell. Ruth's eyes flicked between Graham and Harry, both staring intensely at each other and she waited for the storm to hit.


	3. Chapter 3

**A tiny chapter but I hope its better than nothing.**

* * *

Harry's eyes were flicking between Ruth and Graham, confusion etched all over his face. Ruth felt her heart drop to the floor while she waited for someone to speak. "I'll see you later," Graham said to her, moving aside.

"Wait," Harry said, turning after his son, for the moment ignoring Ruth completely. "I didn't know you were even in London."

"I guess it's a surprise that you can't keep track of your own children," he said. "Everyone else in the country, but not your son."

"Please," Harry said quietly, and Ruth felt her heart break as she watched Harry who clearly wanted to talk to his son. Graham didn't look back and got in his car. Harry kept watching until he was out of sight, then he sighed and turned to Ruth. "What was he doing here?"

"Come in," she said quietly, not wanting to have what was bound to be an awkward conversation in the street where anyone could overhear them. He nodded and followed her into the kitchen where he saw the wine glasses and the bottle and he instantly put two and two together.

"What have I walked in on?" he asked, eyes burning into hers as if daring her to lie.

"It is not what it looks like," she said instantly. "He's been delivering my food for a few months, that's all. I had no idea he was your son until tonight."

"Do you open a bottle of wine with all your delivery guys?"

"Harry…" she said quietly.

"White Burgundy too…" he said, his eyes filled with disappointment.

"He just turned up tonight," Ruth said. "Am I not allowed to invite someone into my home for a drink?"

"I'm going to go," he said, turning away from her.

"Wait, why did you come over in the first place?" she asked his retreating back. He stopped moving and turned back to her.

"Because I wanted to see you," he admitted. "Clearly this was a mistake. I'll see you on the grid tomorrow."

"Please don't leave, not like this," she begged.

"Goodbye Ruth," he said in a very final tone. She watched in silence as he left her house, the front door banging loudly as he went through it. She sighed heavily and was not all that surprised to feel tears rolling down her face.

* * *

The next morning Ruth was determined to make Harry talk to her, whatever it took. Unusually for her, she had arrived late. Mainly because she'd been crying the night before and it had taken a long, long time for sleep to take her. "Lucas, where's Harry?" she asked as she saw the empty office.

"JIC meeting this morning," Lucas said simply. "He said he'd be back around midday, its not a full session."

"Oh. Okay," she said sadly. Maybe it was better this way. She actually had a chance to think about what she was going to say to him when he finally got back.

* * *

**I have no idea where this is going at all so any hints / advice would be well appreciated! Thanks for the reviews so far :-)**


	4. Chapter 4

**As requested, another chapter by the end of the day. There'll be more HR in the next chapter, this one's a little minimal.**

* * *

Once back on the grid, Harry marched through to his office without so much as glancing at anyone at all. From Ruth's experience, this was not a good sign that all was well. It took a good couple of minutes for her to work up the courage to go in. She raised her hand and knocked. "Yes?"

She opened the door, biting her lip in her nervousness. She felt like asking what's wrong, but then wondered if that was too obvious and stupid a question. "Close the door behind you," he said before she could make her mind up about what to say.

"How was the meeting?" she settled on instead.

"I loathe Edward Green," Harry said.

"The head of six?" Ruth asked. "What's he done this time?"

"Just being a pompous idiot who refuses to do anything but sit behind a desk and drink whisky while his agents die in Iraq. He fights me on every single point, its getting irritating."

"I'm sure if you mentioned the blonde twenty something he's currently cavorting with behind his wife's back, he'd quickly come around to your way of thinking," Ruth said.

"How did you find that out?" Harry asked in surprise after a moment of stunned silence.

"I like to keep a close eye on people who can be manipulated," she said evasively.

"I'll remember that for the future," he said with a slight smile. For a moment, yesterday had been forgotten by both of them, but in the silence the memories were coming to the foreground very quickly.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Last night got completely out of hand. There really was nothing going on."

"Would you have told me you'd seen him?" Harry asked bluntly. "If I hadn't bumped into Graham, would you have mentioned it?"

"Yes," she said honestly. It might have taken her a few days to gather up the courage, but she could never have kept that from him. It would have driven her slowly insane.

"I don't know what to say to you," he said after a moment. "The thought of any man with you at all hurts me… but then to see that…"

"Forget me," she said, even though her heart was sinking. "You need to talk to him. He's your son. He's more important than me."

"I wouldn't say more important," he said before he could stop himself. "I'm sorry for walking out. Not very mature is it?"

"I don't blame you," she said with a smile. "I should get back to work."

"Yes, you should," he said quietly. She nodded and left his office, leaving Harry even more confused than before.

* * *

That evening, Harry had had a few more whisky's than he probably should have had. He had called Graham up and asked if he could please come over tonight. They needed to talk. The phone conversation to his work had been filled with a lot of long silences rather than anything else before he reluctantly agreed before hanging up. Which left Harry sitting in his lounge, drinking and wondering if Graham would actually turn up. He was five minutes late already, and to be honest Harry didn't blame him. Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and he raced to answer it.

"I don't know how long I'll be staying," Graham said before Harry could get a word out.

"Come in," he replied. "Please," he added as it was clear his son was hesitating.

"Alright." He entered the house, looking around warily as both men went to the lounge. The silence became very oppressive very quickly. "Dad, were you having me followed?"

"No," he said honestly. "I've known for a very long time that you don't want me involved in your life. So I removed your details from the network at Thames House. I thought that would be… best."

"That's what Ruth said," he admitted.

"Then why ask me?"

"Because she's loyal to you," Graham said. "She'd lie if you told her to, of that I have no doubt."

"She doesn't lie," Harry replied. "She's an inherently honest person."

"So unlike you," Graham said.

"I don't want to fight with you," Harry said. "I just want the best for you. I want you to be happy."

"You don't really show it you know dad," he said.

"I know," he replied. "I've never been any good at showing my emotions."

"No, you haven't," he agreed readily. He looked at his father and had the fleeting desire to laugh. "She's too good for you. Ruth," he added at his fathers blank look.

"I know," Harry replied.

"What does she see in you?"

"I have absolutely no idea at all," Harry said.

"You should make a move you know. She's beautiful, and I think you take it for granted that she's always going to be there for you." Graham turned to leave when Harry said nothing, considering his words.

"Wait!" Harry called. "Can you give me your phone number? I don't want… to lose contact with you. Please Graham?"

"Okay," he relented. He scribbled his number down and then passed it to his father.

"Thank you," Harry said with such sincerity that Graham knew he'd done the right thing.

"Bye dad," he added before vanishing through the door. Harry all but collapsed into his chair, with his sons phone number grasped tightly in his fist.


	5. Chapter 5

**Right, I am rapidly descending (ascending?) into Harry and Ruth fluffy goodness. Enjoy!**

* * *

Ruth had just got into bed when her doorbell rang. "Oh God," she moaned into her pillow. Whoever it was could rot in hell. Then it rang again. Thinking that it might be quicker to simply answer it, she got up, wrapped her dressing gown around herself and headed downstairs. Opening the door, she wasn't all that surprised to see Harry.

"Harry what are yo…" she was cut off by him kissing her as soon as he'd set eyes on her. Within seconds his hands were on her waist, pulling her as close as possible and his tongue was practically down her throat. After a moment of complete shock she pulled away from him. "My God you are drunk," she said, tasting the whisky on him. "Tell me you didn't drive over."

"Took a taxi," he replied, only slurring his words slightly. A compliment to his liver judging on the amount he'd drunk. He smelled like a distillery.

"Let me call you a cab," she said softly, already turning from him and reaching for the phone.

"No don't," he said, collapsing on her sofa.

"Come on Harry," she said quietly. "We have enough trouble communicating with each other when we're not drunk."

"Mm," he said, his eyes looking down before returning to her. "I love you."

She froze. Then she stared at him. Then she curled her fingers into a fist and punched his chest. "You bloody stupid man!" she shouted. "Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to hear that from you? And you tell me when you're paralytic? Harry Pearce, I want to kill you!" She buried her face in her hands, trying to regain her temper. "Right," she said through gritted teeth. She lowered her hands from her face and saw that he'd fallen asleep. In spite of herself she felt her heart softening towards him. He looked so much more peaceful in sleep than she'd ever seen him. Added to that the rumpled shirt he wore, and she was brought back to her fantasies of waking up next to him everyday. Shaking her head slightly, she found a blanket and covered him. She allowed herself to touch his stubbled cheek gently before she went upstairs to bed.

* * *

Harry woke with an intense pain in his neck and a headache already throbbing in his temples. He looked around and realised he wasn't in his own house. He had a moment of fear, but then thought that kidnappers would be unlikely to leave him to sleep on the sofa covered with a blanket. He caught sight of a bookshelf and scanned the titles. Homer, Plutarch and Austen were prominent among them. Meaning that he was in Ruth's house. He put his hands over his eyes and broken images came back to him. Hoping that at least half of them weren't true, he caught the smell of coffee from the kitchen. Deciding to venture out, he found Ruth, her back to him as she put bread in the toaster.

"Tell me I dreamed last night," he said quietly. "Tell me that didn't actually happen."

"What happened?" Ruth asked turning with a quirked eyebrow. "You pouncing on me like a drunken lech? Because that was true."

"Oh God," he said, his eyes closing in horror. "I'm so sorry."

"Mm," she replied pouring him a coffee. "I think your hangover should be punishment enough."

"Thank you," he replied as she handed him his coffee. "I didn't intend to do that."

"No? So what was the master plan?" Ruth asked, putting her toast on a plate and sitting at the table.

"Well, I did think it would be a good idea to come around and talk to you. Graham said I took you for granted, and I was planning on trying to change that. But I needed some Dutch courage first. And then I just ended up drinking the whole bottle. It's a bit of a blur after that.

"Mm," she agreed, spreading liberal amounts of butter on her toast. "You told me you loved me," she added with a glare. "Not how I wanted to hear that."

"I can do nothing but apologise," he said sadly.

"Why? Was it not true?" she asked, her blue eyes burning into his.

"Of course its true," he said in a voice like honey. "I'm sorry for the timing."

"That's always been your problem," she said, trying to calm her racing heartbeat.

"I'll leave you to it," he said, after the silence became uncomfortable. "I think I've imposed on you quite enough for one day."

"Wait," she said following him through her hallway. He turned and looked at her with an intensity that took her breath away. "What were you planning to say when you got here last night?"

"I didn't have a plan," he admitted. "I just wanted… it to be perfect. Which is something I fail at more often than I'd like." She was considering him intensely and he couldn't resist leaning down to kiss her lips softly. She responded to him almost immediately, their lips moulding together, so much more perfect than the night before. His hand snaked slowly around her waist and his fingers pressed lightly against her. Their embrace was as soft as last nights had been hard.

"I'm going to go," he whispered in a half broken voice.

"Okay," she replied, her voice not as steady as usual. He felt pleased that he managed to get her like that. But it didn't last long before he left her house, leaving Ruth very breathless, and wondering what had happened to her life over the last twelve hours.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for all the lovely and encouraging reviews! They really mean a lot...**

* * *

She next saw Harry when he arrived late on the grid, this time in a shirt that wasn't rumpled from spending the night sleeping on her sofa. His eyes lingered over her for longer than she was used to and she blushed under the intensity of his gaze.

"Ruth, where's the latest Russian…"

"Here," she said, holding out the relevant file for him. Ruth almost jumped backwards when Harry's fingers brushed against hers as he took the file. There was electricity between them, now more than ever and he smirked slightly, as if knowing what effect he had on her before walking through to his office.

* * *

Throughout the rest of the day they were both too busy to do anything more than try and catch some Iranian terrorists. Harry had to meet the Home Secretary leaving Ruth to go home without so much as a goodbye. However, her day was not without any events at all. When she got home she found Graham sitting on her doorstep.

"Hi," he said quietly, standing up. "I brought you a coffee to try and give you incentive to let me in. I want to talk to you."

Ruth smiled as she took the proffered drink. "Thanks," she added, unlocking her door. "Come in." He followed her into the kitchen slightly warily. "God that's good coffee," she said as she took a sip. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Dad," he said simply. Ruth nodded and sat down, and Graham followed suit. "He seems… different. I went to see him last night."

"How drunk was he?" Ruth asked.

"He wasn't," Graham said simply. "Why?"

"When he arrived here, he was absolutely smashed," she said. "That's not really the point though."

"I was expecting him to be angry," Graham said. "Shout at me, criticise me or something like that. But he didn't. He just seemed… different."

"Look, I know he wasn't a great father to you," Ruth said. "Even he would admit that. But whatever you think, he's not stupid. He learns from his mistakes. He never wanted to go years without talking to you."

"Does he tell you this?" Graham asked in surprise.

"No," she said with a smile. "I've known him eight years. As bad as it sounds… I know what he thinks a lot of the time without him having to say it."

Graham rubbed his eyes tiredly in a move that reminded her of Harry. "I want to hate him," he admitted. "But I can't. We're too damn similar and stubborn for our own good."

"Yes," Ruth said simply. "Your father I meant," she added at the look on his face. "Very stubborn, and always convinced he's right. Even when he isn't."

"How have you worked with him for so long?"

"Because he hasn't turned into one of those political idiots keeping the service at arms length," Ruth said. "He has a belief that he makes a difference in this job. Or he used to at any rate. He seems to have become a bit… disillusioned of late." Graham raised his eyebrow at her so she continued in a very quiet voice. "He got a bit unhappy when… he proposed and I said no."

"Why?" Graham asked. She glared at him slightly. "Sorry. None of my business."

"If you want to know, ask your father why on earth he thought a funeral of one of our friends would be a good location for a marriage proposal. Because I'd quite like the answer to that one myself."

"Oh God," Graham said, making Ruth laugh. "What made him think that was a good plan?"

"I have no idea at all," Ruth replied. "Look, please give your father a chance. I know how much he hates that his children don't talk to him. It meant an awful lot when Catherine asked to see him at the airport last week."

"She says he's changed."

"I don't know," Ruth said. "Because I don't know what he was like when you were younger. I didn't know him then. But he is a good man. And in our line of work, good men are rare, trust me."

"Are you…" Graham shrugged as he tailed off.

"Go on."

"Catherine mentioned a few years ago that dad was totally heartbroken. He wouldn't say anything specific but it sounded like she'd died. Was that… you?"

"Yes," she said. "I had to fake my death and then leave the country for three years or so. He had to pretend I was dead. I wouldn't have said he was heartbroken though."

"Catherine did," Graham said. "The first indication to me that he had a heart in the first place."

"Don't talk about him like that," Ruth said sharply before she could stop herself. "I mean… please don't assume he's heartless," she edited in a softer voice.

"He's not good on subtlety," Graham said. "I know you care for him, but you might have to tell him before he does anything."

"I'll think about it," she replied honestly.

"Okay," Graham said with a smile. "I'll leave you to it."

"Thanks for the coffee."

"You're welcome," he said. "I'll see you around."

"Bye." Ruth was left in thought as she ran a finger around the rim of the coffee cup. He had a point. She really should talk to Harry.

* * *

**I thought I should include a bit more Graham, so I hope this is okay. I foresee a HR reunion relatively soon!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Right, so two chapters in quick succession. This one is nearer the M rating, but I think its okay.**

* * *

Harry had just poured his first whisky of the night, mixed with water as a concession to his indulgence the night before when the doorbell rang. Immediately alert he remembered how many guns he had in the house and where each one was before remembering that a terrorist or kidnapper was unlikely to ring the doorbell. He looked through the spy hole and sighed, half with relief, half nervousness. Opening the door, he saw a very wet Ruth. Her hair was streaming with rainwater and she looked very bedraggled. Still gorgeous, but definitely bedraggled.

"Do you mind letting me in it's chucking it down," she said after he hadn't moved and had spent almost a full minute staring at her.

"Sorry," he said, moving aside to let her in. She stepped past him and brushed her wet hair out of her face. "I take it its raining?" he said, holding in a laugh which he knew she wouldn't appreciate.

"I hadn't noticed," she replied, fire in her eyes.

"So what brings you over here so late?" he asked.

"I wanted to talk to you," she said. "I wanted to see you."

"What was so important?" he asked, his heart racing slightly more than it should be.

"I've been trying to get my courage up all the way over here," she admitted. "I really wanted to do this." Very quickly she leaned towards him and pressed her lips to his. Almost instantly he reacted, a hand on the small of her back pulling her close as tongues explored each other. Tasting and delighting in each other. She pulled back after long minutes of heaven.

"What?" he asked quietly. "What's wrong?"

"I love you," she said quietly. "Nothings wrong. I just wanted to tell you." He wasn't able to form words and kissed her hard, making her gasp into his mouth. Her fingertips were playing lightly over his chest in a very teasing manner. He pushed her coat off of her and it landed with a thump on the floor. The noise seemed to bring him to his senses and he drew back from her. Looking at her, this didn't seem to be the wisest move. The rain had plastered her clothes tight to her skin and he ached to touch her. To feel her softness, to see her bare curves, to experience her body pressed against his, her moans of passion reverberating through his ears… but he thought he should slow down. He was almost positive this wasn't what she'd envisioned when she decided to come over tonight.

"I love you too," he whispered when he became aware that he hadn't said the words yet. "Always have."

"Good," she said with a relieved smile. "That's what I needed to hear. When you're sober," she added.

"I'm sorry about last night," he whispered against her lips, kissing her briefly. She looked at him intensely, as if reading the rather X rated thoughts he'd been having. She leaned closer and whispered in his ear. "Where's your bedroom?"

"Ruth…" he said in a voice cracked with emotion. "We shouldn't…"

"I think…" she started, more brazen than he could ever have imagined before tonight. "That we've waited quite long enough." Without thinking too much about it she undid the top two buttons on her blouse, her heavy breathing the only giveaway to her nervousness. He kissed her softly as they headed backwards towards the stairs. One of his hands gently rested against the swell of her breast and he knew that he couldn't stop now. The only thing on earth that would make him stop would be if she asked him to. But judging from her reaction, that was not going to happen.

* * *

"What are you doing?" she asked sleepily, her damp hair curling around her face as Harry got out of bed.

"I'm going to put your clothes on a radiator," he whispered into her ear. "That way they'll be dry come morning."

"You can be sweet Harry," she said with a smile. "Although if you're still thinking logically maybe I didn't do my job right." He glanced at her and saw that the worry she had was real. He instantly returned to her, pushing her body deep into the mattress and entwined his fingers with hers. His face hovering an inch away, he kissed her deeply, before tracing her jaw line with his lips and nibbling her earlobe.

"That was incredible," he growled. "And if I was twenty years younger, I'd already be gearing up for round two. As it is, I need a bit of a break before a repeat performance." Ruth giggled slightly, drunk on her happiness. Harry left her but she curled up on her side, holding the duvet close. It took perhaps five seconds for Scarlet to jump up on the bed next to her, growling at the intruder. Ruth held out her hand to the canine warily, who seemed to be judging her worthiness to occupy her masters house.

"Come on girl," Ruth said. "Are you going to like me?" Scarlet watched and gave half a bark before curling up next to Ruth and promptly falling asleep. "Some guard dog you are," Ruth said as she closed her own eyes. Which left Harry a rather pleasing sight to come back to bed to. Reluctantly he pushed the dog off of the bed to her basket. "Sorry old girl," he said to the dog. "But I want Ruth's attention tonight, not yours." Scarlet gave a little whine but didn't complain as she curled up on her dog blanket. Harry scooped Ruth against his chest and held her close, until he too slipped into sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Ruth felt like her brain was completely foggy. She was just surfacing from sleep and as she came back to herself she could feel light butterfly kisses along the back of her neck and her shoulders. "Mm," she murmured. He gripped her waist tightly and flipped her over. He kissed her long and softly.

"Good morning," he murmured.

"Mm," was all she could manage before another kiss took place. She collapsed back into the pillows as he stroked her skin. "I don't ever want to move."

"Might make work tricky," he said and she laughed.

"You know, I didn't come over here last night… for this. It wasn't what I intended."

"I know," Harry said quickly. "You wouldn't have planned it. Or if you had, you'd have picked a night when it wasn't pouring with rain."

"Mm, there might be something to that," she agreed with a smile. His hands had started to drift to deliciously inappropriate places when a growl on the bedroom floor caught their attention. They both turned and Ruth's jaw dropped. Trapped in Scarlet's mouth was one of her boots, looking very, very chewed.

"Oh God they were my favourite pair as well," she said shaking her head.

"I'll buy you new ones," Harry said instantly.

"No you don't have to do that!"

"Its my dog that's ruined them," he said fairly. "Let me treat you."

"Careful Harry Pearce, or I'll come to expect this sort of behaviour." They lost another couple of minutes in a glorious kiss before Harry's mobile started to ring. He didn't answer it but they both knew that their brief stint in paradise had been broken.

* * *

At the end of the day Ruth rubbed her temples. It had been a long and difficult day on the grid, and all she wanted was to curl up in bed and sleep her worries away. She looked around and saw that she and Harry were alone on the grid yet again. As she was thinking that she saw him emerge from his office and walk towards her. "Are you okay?"

"Mm," she agreed. "Just tired. Long day."

"I'll take you home."

"Thanks," she said with a smile. "But can I come around yours again?"

"If you want to," he said, trying and failing to hide his joy at her words. She nodded and then felt complete surprise as he leaned over her and kissed her briefly. She got up and smiled as she felt Harry's hand entwined with hers.

"Lets go."

* * *

The car journey was quiet, but not uncomfortably so. However, when he parked outside his house, he froze. "What?" Ruth asked, instantly worried.

"Graham's on my doorstep," he said with a wary glance towards her.

"He won't bite," Ruth said, more confidently than she felt before she opened the car door. Harry followed suit and Graham looked at them both with a raised eyebrow.

"Hi," he said to them both.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked in surprise.

"That's the welcome I get?" Graham said, shaking his head.

"Harry didn't mean that the way it sounded," Ruth interrupted. "Did you Harry?"

"I meant it's a surprise," he edited. "A good surprise. Come in. Hang on, just got to deactivate the security code." Harry unlocked the door, typing in the eight digit code before letting the other two in. Graham hovered in the hall and Ruth whispered in Harry's ear. "I'm going upstairs. Talk to your son." Harry nodded as she left.

"So, I see things are better between the two of you," Graham said. The tone was harsh but then he seemed to realise it and shrugged. "Sorry."

"There's no need," Harry said. "What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to… talk I guess. Maybe its stupid, but I don't like how things are between us."

"Okay," he said. "Whisky?"

"Thanks."

* * *

Ruth was waiting agitated upstairs for nearly an hour before Harry appeared. "How did it go?" she asked before he'd even closed the bedroom door.

"Good," Harry replied. "I don't think he hates me anymore at any rate."

"I'm glad," she said, watching as he unbuttoned his shirt. Her breath caught slightly as he cast t aside, and he looked up, noticing the flushed look on her face, her sparkling eyes and her slightly heavy breathing. He could make her look like that just by taking his shirt off? Smirking slightly, he leaned over the bed and kissed her deeply.

"I thought you were tired," he murmured.

"Suddenly, not so much," she said with a smile. His hands wandered under the covers finding her surprisingly naked already. "Just preparing for the opportunity," she said with a smile.

"Mm," he agreed, hands already wandering. "Excellent idea."

* * *

**I think just the epilogue left to go now. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	9. Epilogue

**Epilogue- Two Years Later...**

* * *

Ruth was in the kitchen, sipping her tea when she heard her husband and stepson come in the house. Smiling, she made sure that Jack was still sleeping in his crib as both men came into the kitchen, talking happily.

"How'd you do?" Ruth asked as Harry kissed her cheek.

"Well, we've got more money than we went with," Graham said.

"Pure luck," Ruth said bluntly. She didn't like her husbands fondness for gambling, which seemed to be a family trait. They'd been to the races all day and Ruth knew there was absolutely no hope for Jack, judging by the Pearce men's behaviour today. "I don't want you to teach my son to gamble."

"How come he's always your son when you want to win an argument?" Harry asked. "However, when he's crying at three a.m. Jack's always my son. How does that work exactly?"

"Seventeen hours of labour gives me the upper hand," she replied swiftly. Harry inclined his head slightly, conceding the point. Jack was only a month old, there was always time to argue later.

"How is my little brother," Graham asked, interrupting them.

"He's been an angel today," Ruth said honestly, looking at her son who had blonde curls all over his head. "I actually got some peace from the men in my life today."

"Rubbish," Harry said as his fingers trailed down her side. "You love the Pearce men. Its your only weakness." She laughed and kissed her husband on the lips, long and lingering.

"Er, do you mind doing that when I'm not in the room?" Graham said, focusing on Jack who was slowly waking up. His eyes popped open and were focusing on Graham, wide eyed and wondering. "Don't cry," Graham said firmly. Ruth turned at that and watched him but decided that he wasn't going to be crying. Or at least not yet and she turned back to give her husband another quick kiss.

"So, how much better off are you?" Ruth asked as she took Jack out of his crib and cradled him against her chest to ward off any forthcoming tears.

"About five hundred quid," Graham said with a shrug. "Dad knows how to pick a winner."

Harry smiled, which then turned soft when he looked at his wife and child. "Well, I can see when I'm not wanted," Graham said after a minute.

"No, you're welcome here anytime," Ruth said just before Harry said something similar.

"I know, but from the looks you're giving each other… I'll be safer taking Sophie to see a film."

Ruth smiled as Graham ruffled his brothers hair, before leaving the house with a final bye shouted in their general direction. "How are you?"

"Good," Harry said. "Its good to know that we can have something normal together." Ruth smiled and handed Jack over to his father who smiled at the boy. "Catherine wants pictures sent to her. We've been a bit lazy."

"I'll do that tonight," Ruth agreed. Harry looked at her, passion all over his face. "Or tomorrow morning couldn't hurt either," she said with a light blush. Harry laughed and kissed the top of her head before focusing all of his attention on Jack. Harry carried the bundle to the nursery, but not before Ruth caught, "Lets tell you about my day then, shall I handsome?" Ruth could do nothing but smile.

* * *

**Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I am working on Harry's diary but its taking longer than I expected.**


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